Comment 
The revision of the Industrial safety and Health Act in 2011 was released
by the Department of Health, Labor and Welfare
on October 1, 2011. However, against our expectation, the concept is not
a total smoking ban in a workplace, but the idea
to provide a smoking space apart from the area in the main working place.
The Health Ministry officer said to assist
the cost in the construction of indoor room for smokers. This means that
a taxpayer must share the expenses for a space
which is clearly harmful to the human health. Officer further described
he will permit the working space, if the concentration
of tobacco-smoke is under the 0.15mg/1 cubic meter. They completely ignored
the fact that there is no safe level for
the cigarette side-smoke.
The Health officer in the central and local government had no definite
health philosophy to protect people who live
in the country, as far as the avoidance from smoking hazard. The academic
society, the Japan Society for Tobacco-Control
supported the establishment of Kanagawa-Prefecture ordinance, in 2009.
This local law legally approved setting a separate
smoking room inside. The new law justified the legal concept of separating
the public space into the non-smoking and smoking.
The TV commercials by Japan Tobacco Inc. promoting an installation of the
space for smokers are remaining in force.
Sadly, Japan is now becoming an ideal country for a tobacco company.
October 1, 2011, by Junhaku Miyamoto, MD, PhD
|
Japanese Government now adopted that the public indoor space to be divided
into the non-smoking and smoking to protect a worker.
(L) Government will give a financial support for setting up a smoking space.
(M) An inhalation of tobacco-smoke from others will be the trigger to cause
a heart attack and lung cancer.
(R) Government requests all business operators to obligate to protect a
worker,
should be free from the hazard derived from cigarette smoke.
(L) Health official announced to start a new system that supports a finance
to provide a smoking indoor section
in restaurants/bars and Ryakan (hotel).
(R) A firm which can get a financial support to construct an indoor smoking
room and/or ventilation system
should be the number of employee is under 100. The maximum assistant payment
is 2,000,000 yen.
Source: NHK News October1, 2011.
Department of Health, Labor and Welfare announced to assist an establishment
of indoor smoking room in restaurant and hotels, and will increase the financial
support rate from the present 25% to 50% of the whole construction fee
in 2013.
Japan is a country which officially ratified the treaty by the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control.
However, Japanese Government always neglected this fact and rather supported
making a smoking room
for smokers. It is very regrettable to hear that an announcement that the
Government positively supports
the newly constructed smoking room inside of the restaurants and hotels.
Most of European countries, countries of North America and Oceania abolished,
or assertively destroy a
smoking booth or room provided inside of a public space. The local government
and Department Health
and Laborand Welfare of Japanese Government chose the total opposite way
since 2009, when Kanagawa-
Prefecture ordinance approved a separate smoking booth in a food industry
and hotel.
Unfortunately, many Japanese people thought that the separating space for
smokers and non-smokers,
is a good way, and further, the Japan Society for Tobacco-Control supported
the Kanagawa-Prefecture
ordinance, which legally approved a separate smoking room. These factors
contributed to the awful
decision of the Government to increase a financial aid to constructing
the definitely noxious smoking room.
May 15, 2013. The comment by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD
|
Department of Health, Labor and Welfare will grants to the applicants for
a construction of indoor smoking room.
( The Government assists half of the total construction expenditure. The document 2014 is written in Japanese. )
AED ( automated external defibrillator ) is placed at the smoking booth
on a restaurant-floor of a department store in Tokyo.
AED stands in a smoking room of the major airport in Hokkaido.
Kanagawa Anti-smoking Ordinance
Kanagawa plan was expected to spark opposition from owners of restaurants
and bars. However,
Gov.Matsuzawa made a complete about-face, and decided the fields of the
total smoking ban are
limited to schools, hospitals, department stores, government buildings
and some other public places.
He indicated that the prefecture might allow and promote creating the facilities
to introduce
smoking rooms apart from non-smoking section. The grand mistake of the
policy of Kanagawa Pref.
is to abandon a total carpet smoking ban and to create a separate smoking
room for smokers.
A further serious mistake Gov.Matsuzawa did is to authorize laborers to
work in an enclosed space
with full of toxic smoke. This is definitely against the purpose of the
indoor clean-air act: anti-smoking law.
He completely neglects the health of employees who work in a smoking space. Gov.
Matsuzawa
only considers a health of the users of restaurants, bar, pachinko parlors
and other public places.
This comment was written by Junhaku Miyamoto, MD., PhD, in April 2009.
A tobacco company is trying to brainwash Japanese people.
Newspaper
Herald Tribune International Japan must move faster on anti-smoking laws.
"It's your turn, Prime Minister Noda *
After he played a regime, he introduced the 25% financial assistance to
make a smoking room in a building.
Of course, this is not the reason, but he finally resulted that he fell
from power after 2013 election.
At the Fifth Annual Meeting of Japan Society for Tobacco Control in Matsuyama,
Dr. J Miyamoto presented a process of the Kanagawa Prefectual Anti-smoking Act and
the adverse outcome of the local ordinance.
He warned the danger of that Japan becomes 'an unwanted smoking-restricted country', among the world,
if other local anti-smoking ordinances allow to set up a separate smoking
space and further admit
to working in that section at food industries.
He presented a scene of the meeting at the headquarter of Japan Medical
Society. Guest speakers,
Dr. M P Langer and Mr. L Binding talked about the importance not to provide
a smoking space inside
of the building. They lectured that nobody should be worked in a toxic
smoking area.
Dr. Miyamoto stressed that smoking ban should be applied to a restaurant,
bar and pub at the different stages.
He advised the content of a total smoking ban should be simple and clear,
excluding numerous exceptions.
Russia enforced a total smoking ban in public indoor space in June 2014.
A new proposal about smoking regulation by the Health Ministry in January 2018
This is the worst anti-smoking measure in the World, neglecting WHO and IOC agreements.
日本語
厚生労働省は分煙制度を推進、喫煙室設置費用を助成
「禁煙席ネット」主宰 日本タバコフリー学会顧問 医学博士 宮本順伯
★This Web site is link-free.
The article was written in August 2011, and revised in May 2013 and October
2014.
Information on new Japanese Government policy was added in January 2017.
